Yesterday, at a downtown luncheon headlined by Michelle Obama, NBC5's Carol Marin found a variety of women who strongly supported Barack
Obama for president. Even Paula Wolff, a longtime aide to GOP Gov. Jim
Thompson, expressed her support
for him, saying it was the first time she has
supported a Democratic presidential candidate "publicly." But Marin also spent some time
chatting with an old friend who expressed a different view of Obama:
A few hours after leaving the "Women for Obama" luncheon, I ran into Sarah, not her real name. I've known her for a few years. A single mom, she free-lances, working as many jobs as she can to support two growing boys. She dreams of a permanent gig with benefits, but it's still just a dream.
A 37-year-old Democrat, she is also a college grad and a news junkie who has watched this campaign like a hawk. She surprised me with her anger Tuesday, saying she's voting for McCain.
To Sarah, Barack Obama is like the organic chicken at lunch. Sleek, elegant, beautifully prepared. Too cool.
Pivoting from this anecdote, Marin points out that while Obama led John McCain 55 percent to 36 percent among women in a July 15 Quinnipiac University poll, "the margin was far smaller among independent women, who preferred Obama by just three points, 45 percent to 42 percent." She also notes an AP/Yahoo News survey which "found that just 12 percent of former Clinton supporters say they are excited about Obama."
But context matters! As Frank Rich reminded us in June, John Kerry only won women voters by three points. Al Gore? Eleven points. That puts Obama's lead in stark perspective, especially considering that he holds a wider advantage among this group than either Kerry (47 to 46 percent) or Gore (50 to 41 percent) did at this stage in 2004 and 2000, respectively. And among Independent women? Pew says he's also in good shape:
In particular, Obama is running better among politically independent women than did either Gore or Kerry at this point in their campaigns. Independent women now favor Obama over McCain by a 47%-to-36% margin; four years ago Kerry and Bush were tied among independent women (45% each) and, eight years ago, Bush held a 13-point lead over Gore among this group (52% vs. 39%).
Granted, there are still a significant number of undecided women out there. So why would they decline to support John McCain? For one, his record on women's issues is absolutely atrocious. Women also favor withdrawal from Iraq and universal health care -- both opposed by McCain -- in larger numbers than men.
To Marin's credit, she does mention that Clinton supporters at the
luncheon acknowledged they have far more differences with McCain than they do
with Obama. But if you're going to write a piece that provokes this
headline -- "Women Voters Aren't Warming To 'Cool' Obama" -- some historical
perspective is important.
Anonymous on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 12:11
Wow. What is the matter with everyone here? Cindy McCain is "the strongest political wife of our time??" Are you kidding me?? I don't think drug addiction and plastic surgery to rival Joan Rivers' record signifies strength of any sort. All you need to know about John McCain's attitude toward women is summed up in her. He likes to squire around a plastic looking doll who nods approvingly at everything he says and does. What kind of strength is that? I don't believe she has an original opinion or thought in her head. I'm sure she is a good wife and mother but that doesn't make her any sort of a role model for 2008 America.
That truly independent women want a pro-choice president does not mean they are "pro-abortion." It means they are pro CHOICE, dictated by their individual circumstances. Except for the small minority that exists in every group, I don't think women ever desire an abortion for casual reasons. But there are plenty for whom carrying a child to term simply isn't possible. Whether they have been raped or were rendered ignorant by lack of information or whether an accident occurred, a person needs to understand ALL of their options, even the unpleasant ones. I would personally wish that people would stay abstinent until they were ready to have a family. But most people don't and that is why contraception and access to accurate information is important. Those who are so fervently "pro-life" forget about the life of the person who already exists, that of the mother. A mother is woman and the people who always seem to want to make personal/sexual choices for the woman are men. Why is that?? It's also difficult to understand how on the one hand, Republicans are anti-choice, yet pro-gun. Isn't a life a life? What about all of the children and adults killed by gunfire every year? What are we doing about that? Or, if you're really pro-life, what about executions? In order to gain respect, one must demonstrate reason and consistency.
I'm very, very shocked and saddened to see that so many people are so prejudiced and angered by an educated, intelligent black man's efforts to reach the White House. Listen to the vitriolic pap you are spewing. Are you proud of yourselves? Perhaps Barack Obama is a little green. So was JFK. Maybe you were, too, when you finally got the job you wanted. So what? John McCain can do nothing to further this country, which is in such deep, deep trouble. His Republican predecessor got us in this mess. Do you really believe he wants to get us out?
Josh Kalven on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 13:29
Anon 13:11 -- Who exactly are you responding to here?
Post new comment